Tube-vulcanizing apparatus.



J. T. ALVlS. TUBE VULCANIZING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3. 1916.

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Patented Mar. 26, 1918. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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ATTORNEY.

J. ALVIS. TUBE VULCANIZ'ING APPARATUS.

AP PLICATION HLED NOV. 3. 19H}.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

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ATTORNEY.

JAMES T. ALVIS, 0F FORT WORTH, TEXAS.

TUBE-VULCANZIZING APPARATUS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1M8.

Application filed November 8, 1916. Serial No. 129,334.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. ALvIs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Worth, in the county of Tarrant and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tube-Vulcanizing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to an apparatus for vulcanizing rubber tubes and 1n such connection it relates more particularly to an apparatus for repairing inflatable tubes for wheel tires.

Heretofore an apparatus for repairing inflatable tubes by the application and vulcanization of rubber patches to the perforated portion or portions of the tube, has been devised wherein a polygonal hollow body internally heated by confined steam or hot air was supported to present a heated face in an angular position to a cooperating pressure pad or pads. In this form of apparatus the tube and patch were inserted between the angular face of the hollow body and the pressure pad and said pressure pad was held thereon by means of a weight or spring applied to one member of a three armed lever or treadle, one of the other members of the three armed lever carrying the pad and the third member constituting a pedal for operating the lever in the drawing away of the pressure pad from the heated face of the vulcanizing body.

In such apparatus the additional weight and consequent increased cost of the apparatus occasioned by the provision of the third arm and its weight or spring is one of a number of disadvantages present in the apparatus and is one of the reasons why such an apparatus is not in more general use by tube repairing establishments.

The counterbalanced or spring controlled three armed lever of such an apparatus necessitates the use of a long shaft acting as a stop to limit the movement of the weighted or spring controlled arm of the lever and to thus prevent the lever from being thrown backward beyond the center of gravity and thus moved to bring the pressure pad permanently out of engagement with the hollow vulcanizable body.

Recognizing these chief objections to the successful and general use of such'an apparatus it is the main object of my present invention to rearrange and reconstruct the various parts of a vulcanizing apparatus whereby these disadvantages are obviated the apparatus simplified and cheapened and its operation rendered more certain and fool proof.

In the carrying out of my invention, I provide a hollow, vulcanizing body of polygonal cross section and forming a box for the reception and retention of steam, hot air or vapor and I removably support this body in a frame or support so that one of its faces lies substantially in a vertical plane. Again in conjunction with this hollow, vulcanizi'ng body I provide one or more pressure pads, each supported at one end of a two armed lever or treadle, the opposite end of the treadle being provided with a pedal for foot operation of the pad. Again each treadle is connected by from the treadle above its pivotal support to a shaft or to a fixed part of the frame work and each spring is provided with means for regulating its tension.

The nature and scope of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which Figure 1, is a perspective view of a vulcanizing apparatus embodying the main features of my invention.

Fig. 2, is a vertical sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3, is a perspective view illustrating in detail a means for coupling up two or more pressure pads in the vulcanizing of large strips of rubber, and

Fig. l, is an enlarged detail view of one of the pressure pads.

Referring to the drawings, 1, 1, represent the end standards of the apparatus and 2 the hollow vulcanizing body or box removably supported at its ends in the channeled upper ends 3 of the end frames 1. A set screw 4 serves to lock the ends of the body 2 to the ends of frames 1.

By preference the body 2 is square in cross section and is thus provided with four faces, any one of which may, if desired, be brought into operative position with respect to a series of pressure pads 5. In such operative position, the face of the box is supported in a vertical or substantially vertical plane.

At one end of the box or body 2 a pipe 6 is inserted, said pipe connecting the interior of the body 2 with a source of steam, hot air or vapor supply. Where steam or an a spring extending easily condensable vapor is fed to the box or body 2, said body is provided with a drip pipe 7 leading the products of condensation to a point of discharge. The 1nter1or of the body 2 is also completely traversed by a pipe 8 which conducts compressed air from a suitable source to a dischargenozzle 9. The inlet to pipe 8 and its outlet 9 are each provided with a valve 10 and the construction is such that either end of pipe 8 may be coupled up with a source of compressed a1r supply as desired.

The air in pipe 8 is warmed by the steam or vapor in body 2 and is utilized to dry or partly dry the cement uniting a patch to the rubber article to be repaired before the actual vulcanization of the pad to the article.

The two frames 1 are united together by the front shaft 11 and rear shaft 12. On the front shaft 11 are pivotally supported a series of treadle levers 13, each lever 13 being mounted as at 14 to swing on the shaft 11. The lower arm of each lever 13 is provided with an operating pedal 15 and the upper end carries or supports a pressure pad 5. The upper end of each lever 13 is provided with a handle 16 by means of which the treadle lever 13 may be manually operated in addition to its manipulation through pedal 15 by the foot of the operator.

Each pressure pad 5 is pivotally secured to the upper endof a treadle lever 13 so that it may be turned to inoperative position as indicated in full lines in Fig. 1 or to operative position as indicated in full lines in Fig. 2. When in operative position the pad 5 rests upon and is supported by an offset 17 formed in the upper end of lever 13.

The upper end of each treadle lever 13 is connected by a spring 18 with the rear shaft 12. A set screw 19 traversing the shaft 12 and connected to the spring 18 constitutes a simple means forregulating the tension of .sure surface of the pads joined and increased by means of the device illustrated in Fig. 3. In such case a plate 20 having outturned notched ends 21 is placed over the adjacent pressure pads 5 and the ends 21 interlocked with the treadle levers by slipping the notches of the ends over the tops of said levers. If desired a similar means for locking the lower ends of the levers 13 together may be used so that the operation of one pedal will operate the coupled treadle levers.

When for any cause, a face of the body 2 becomes unfit for vulcanizing purposes the paratus.

body may be lifted out of the frames 1 and turned to bring another face of the body into operative position.

The apparatus constructed and arranged as herein shown and described is much simpler and lighter in Weight than are appara-' tuses of this character as heretofore constructed, and all the parts are arranged and assembled in such manner that in case of breakage such part or parts as are damaged ma be readily removed and replaced.

gain in my a paratus the main or controlling weight 0 each treadle is below the pivotal support and hence the treadles cannot be swung far enough from the body 2 to bring the treadles backward beyond the center of gravity which would occur if the upper ends of the treadles were counter- Weighted and no limiting stop or shaft were provided in front of the upper ends of the treadle arms.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vulcanizing apparatus, two end standards each having channeled upper ends, a hollow vulcanizing body removably supported at its ends in the channeled upper ends of the said standards, said hollow body being-polygonal in cross section to provide a plurality of unobstructed vulcanizing faces and said body being so arranged that when removed from the standards and turned and then replaced in said standards each of its vulcanizing faces may be brought successively to operative position in the ap- 2. In a vulcanizing apparatus, a vulcanizing body having a vulcanizing face dis posed in a vertical plane, a double armed treadle lever, a shaft arranged below and in front of the body and constituting a pivotal support for the treadle lever, a pedal formed on the lower end of the treadle lever, a pressure pad pivotally supported on the upper end of the treadle lever, a rear shaft and a spring connecting the treadle lever above its pivotal support with said rear shaft, in combination with means for adjusting the tension of said spr ng, said means traversing the rear shaft.

3. In a vulcanizing apparatus, a plurality of pressure pads, a plurality of two armed treadle levers each carrying a pad, a plate covering the faces of a plurality of pressure pads and means for interlocking the ends of said plate to the treadle levers carrying the pads so covered by the plate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JAMES T. ALVIS. 

